Declan

As I grew up, I tried my hand in each of these categories, but the questions about my value and worth remained. Nowadays I work as a teacher at a secondary school, a profession in which it can be very easy to weigh yourself against your efficacy in getting students top grades, or against the esteem in which you are held by your colleagues and superiors, or even against the respect you garner from your students.

I had been brought to church by my parents from a very young age, which for me, had meant that the stories of Jesus Christ were just another piece of knowledge. I am extremely grateful for the privilege, but I found that it was difficult to connect what I learned to my reality.

When I was a teenager, I spent a week each summer going to a Christian camp in the Lake District, where the Bible was mixed with the great outdoors and that Bear Grylls brand of fun. One particular year though, the gospel really hit home. I remember hearing about my place in God’s family. That at God’s great banquet there was a seat at the table with my name on it. My value and worth does not come from being the smart one, or the popular one, but simply from being. I was designed and created, and my value is ascribed to me by my Creator, nobody else.

I went home that year with a new-found peace that I can fall back on whenever criticism or failure comes my way. In an age where such pressure is put upon people to find their place, to be the best at something, or simply to be liked by everyone, I found a place that didn’t require me to be anything but myself. A place where everyone is infinitely and unshakably valued, including me and including you. What could be more liberating than that?